Opinion

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Hi neighbors. Christmas shopping jitters aside, it's been a pretty decent week. It seems every person has only one thought in mind -- getting ready for the Christmas holiday.

Have you noticed all the Christmas-based shows on television?

Every year or so some one comes out with a new Christmas show for television or the theaters. Most holiday shows that appear in the theaters will eventually make their way to the small screen at Christmas time.

That's always a good thing because the same shows are shown year after year. The more Christmas-themed shows there are in the mix, the better.

I remember when the only shows on were "A Miracle on 34th Street" and "It's A Wonderful Life." Red Skelton always had a Christmas special each year with a skit about Freddie the Freeloader.

Bob Hope always went overseas to perform for the troops at Christmas time. He always said that as long as there were American soldiers away from home at Christmas, he would be there to entertain them wherever they were. It seems wars have outlived Mr. Hope and his grand gestures to cheer the troops fighting on foreign shores.

What a shame we don't live in a world where we can have a Christmas when all soldiers can be home with their families.

Although a Christmas classic now, I remember when Frosty the Snowman first showed up on the small screen. I remember Rudolph's first Christmas trip on television as well.

The various television stations still carry on the tradition (or at least I hope they do) of first picking up an unknown flying object in the far north on radar. Throughout the evening there would be "breaking news" reports featuring some perplexed-looking reporter supposedly getting information from NORAD on this "invader."

Eventually, they would get Air Force fighter planes in the air to "eyeball" the unidentified flying object. It would be with overly emphasized relief that the reporter would finally break in on one of the late night shows to reveal the flying object was actually a little fat man in a sleigh pulled by reindeer!

Parents and children alike always enjoyed this running gag as the night progressed. It was always the same, every year.

Just like the Christmas themed shows, this gag never got old.

Maybe they don't do it now for fear of frightening people who might misunderstand the "joke" and think there is some terrorist attack on the horizon.

I have to admit that I've lost track of some of the annual Christmas shows. There have been too many years without little ones in the house.

Some even I know about are "Elf," "Santa Claus," "Scrooged" (a remake of "A Christmas Carol," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the original "A Christmas Carol," "Prancer," and "Polar Express."

There are a host of others I'm sure.

Regular television series usually offer a Christmas themed show that fits the scenario of the particular series. Some are tongue-in-cheek humor, others are sentimental, and some are uplifting.

Another good thing about the season of Christmas, in relation to television, are the great choirs that perform all around the country and the world. They can all be viewed and heard in our own front rooms.

There is a lot to be said about the season, the people who celebrate it, and the thoughts it evokes.

Whether you send paper cards, e-mailed cards or video cards, you can be certain someone is going to enjoy receiving them.

Many people make their own Christmas cards these days. Some use family photos as cards.

However you spend the season, remember that the best gift to give or get at Christmas (or on any other occasion) is the love of family and friends.

I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas!